Baby Boomers, It's Time to Pass the Torch

George Washington was 43 when the Continental Congress placed him in command of the fledgling army that would eventually drive the British out of their American colonies. At 55, the general presided over the fractious convention that produced the most durable constitution the world has ever seen. He then served two terms as the nation's first president, leaving office for the last time at 65.Abraham Lincoln moved into the White House shortly after his 52nd birthday and guided the nation through a terrible civil war. Along the way, he ended slavery, started the Transcontinental Railroad, expanded higher education and delivered two of the most eloquent speeches in human history. When he was assassinated on April 14, 1865, he was 56.Theodore Roosevelt, governor of New York at 40, was persuaded to run for vice president after just a year in office. When an assassin cut down William McKinley, Roosevelt became president at 42. His vigorous and effective leadership was the sun at the dawn of the American Century. He left office at 50.A distant cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, was 51 when he became president after crippling polio delayed his career. FDR led the United States through two of its darkest crises, the Great Depression and World War II. He died in office at 63.Presidential historians typically rank those four as the greatest to occupy the White House. Runners-up often include Harry S. Truman, who took office at 60; Dwight D. Eisenhower, 62; Thomas Jefferson, 57; and John F. Kennedy, 43.If our four best presidents entered office at an average age of 50, why am I reading about potential candidates for 2020 who will be in their 70s? Former vice president Joe Biden says he is thinking about making a run. If he won, he would take office at 78. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has been touted as a front-runner for the Democratic nomination. He would be 79. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) beams as throngs of Democrats chant her name. If she runs and wins, she would take the oath at 71.Until Donald Trump came along, the United States had never sent a septuagenarian to occupy the Oval Office. (We did keep one there in 1984, when Ronald Reagan was re-elected at 73.) We've sworn in more than twice as many presidents under the age of 50 as over the age of 65. That serious people are discussing candidates who would be pushing 80 is unprecedented — and sclerotic for our political system.My point is not to disparage the elderly, for I am rapidly becoming one myself. But no thriving society finds its fresh thinking among its oldest leaders.   Continue reading...